Gunbuster

Mecha does not interest me, Mecha does not make me cry, Mecha is boring and I don't understand it.
And then Gunbuster came and showed me how to love Mecha.
SPOILERS!!!!

Noriko and Amano are picked to be pilots of giant fighting robots. While Amano trains hard everyday to work her way to the top, Noriko apparently gets picked because her dad was a pilot too. Not only has she work twice as hard, deal with having fingers pointed at her, but she takes one hit after another.
The girls leave, travelling through space and time, dealing with new relationship while the old friends grow older without them.
Even after coming back to Earth it's clear that this planet is not where the girls belong anymore...

1) Prepare your tissues
This old mecha tells a beautiful story, and the characters are going through some tough times. Whether is Noriko who is dealing with stuff at school and at home, or Amano's relationship, whether we're talking about the character of Smith (who's tragedy was highlighted) or Kimiko Akai (who's sadness needed to be read between the lines), the emotional aspect of this OVA is extremely strong and makes you love the story even more.
Let's be honest - what anime has a black & white episode just to underline how sad everything is going to be?

2) The old aesthetic
Gunbuster is beautiful. From the character design, to overall aesthetic, this anime is perfectly done and animated. Some of the newest show have worse quality than this old gem!
The screen is a bit cut, which only adds to the feeling of travelling in time.

3) The invisible enemy
I understood how the characters were made and I loved how problematic things could became for them. They were human, they were ordinary, dealing with stuff you and/or I could be dealing with. But when it came to robots and fighting in space, the drama fell flat. Maybe I didn't understand it, but I wasn't sure who or why they're fighting... So it felt like they were fighting an invisible enemy for the sake of screwing with the girls even more.

4)Not enough time to shine
This is the original series, and the sequels aren't following this story. And that's okay, because Gunbuster ended on a great note with most of things closed.
However, 6 episodes was not enough! Some things happened out of the blue, some things were forgotten and some great scenes or fights had no value because the story just showed bits of them.
Reiko for example could make a great villain. Her fight with Noriko was very interesting and the desperation in her voice and madness in her eyes told us how much she wanted to be picked! But she didn't... And then we find out that she is a coach of new pilots in that very school. Surprised? Well, me too.

Conclusion: recommended ?